One chapter of a Gospel: what you learn about Jesus
You can spend years in a church without having read a Gospel all the way through. You know episodes, sentences, subjects. This quest offers you a very simple habit: reading a complete chapter of a Gospel, and noting what you learn about Jesus.
What it looks like in your day
Read a whole chapter. At a regular pace of one chapter a day, you go through Mark in sixteen days, Luke in twenty-four, John in twenty-one. Here is how to structure your reading:
- Begin with a short prayer: “Lord, show me who Jesus is.”
- Read the chapter in one go. Without stopping at details.
- Reread, noting three categories:
- What Jesus says. A teaching, a promise, a question. - What Jesus does. A gesture, a reaction, a movement. - What is said about him. The crowds, the disciples, his opponents.
- Sum up in one sentence: “In this chapter, I learn that Jesus…”
An example with Mark 4: “Jesus teaches in parables, then calms the storm. I learn that he is both master of the word and master of the elements.”
Choose a Gospel and keep going. For a beginner, Mark is the most direct; John is more spiritual; Luke, more detailed; Matthew, more structured. If you are short on time, a chapter can be read in five to ten minutes. If you are shy, you don't have to tell anyone what you note.
What the Bible says
John explains why his Gospel was written:
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
“That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name”: the purpose of a Gospel is not to supply information, but to lead to Jesus. Each chapter is a piece of the puzzle. Luke, for his part, wanted his reader to know “the certainty” of the things received (Luke 1:4).
Mark opens his book with a declaration (Mark 1:1): here is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He doesn't aim to tell the life of a remarkable man, but to announce good news.
Pitfalls to avoid
Reading only for lessons. It is tempting to treat the Gospels as a collection of morals. They first present a person. Let yourself meet him before trying to apply.
Mixing the stories. If you have memories of other Gospels or of films, don't overlay them. Read what this chapter says, without filling in from memory.
Passing too quickly over the details. In the Gospels, small details are telling: what Jesus does with his hands, where he goes, whom he looks at.
Reading without context. A chapter belongs to a whole. If you are lost, read the summary given in your Bible, or the previous chapter.
Trying to understand everything. Some passages remain mysterious. Note them and move on.
Today, choose a Gospel and read a chapter. Note three things you learn about Jesus.